Costa book award goes to debut novel by Nathan Filer

“The Shock of the Fall,” a debut novel by 32-year-old Nathan Filer, has won the Costa book of the year award.

Filer, who worked as a mental health nurse in Bristol, England, for many years, beat out contenders in four other categories, among them Kate Atkinson, whose best-selling novel “Life After Life” was considered by bookmakers as a favorite to win the award, worth £30,000, or roughly $50,000.

The Costa awards, announced in London, recognize outstanding books by authors based in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Filer’s novel, which HarperCollins bought for “a substantial six-figure sum,” according to an award statement, is narrated by a mentally ill youth who is examining his role in the death of his brother. The Guardian, its review, called the novel “a gripping, exhilarating read.”

The Costa awards date to 1971, when they were known as the Whitbread Literary Awards.

Also announced today was the winner of the Costa Short Story Award: Angela Readman, for “The Keeper of the Jackalopes.” The public voted for the story from among six chosen by five judges.